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Adjusting nursing for solids..

I could use a little advice on how to adjust our evening "schedule" for solids. I would essentially want DD2 to be at the table and eating table food at family dinner time but she usually doesn't nurse until after dinner. Since you are supposed to nurse before solids, I've got a little problem. I get home with DD1 (3yo) at 5:30 and frantically wash pump parts, fix dinner, get out clothes for tommorrow, etc. DH and DD2 get home at 6:00 and we normally eat between 6:15-6:30(DD1 bedtime at 7:00). DD2 usually has a bottle (at daycare) between 3-5:00 and nurses to sleep at 7:00. So do I delay everyone's schedule and nurse before family dinner (then she may not nurse to sleep at 7:00?) or feed her with us and continue to nurse her to sleep at 7:00?

Trying to keep up with a busy 3.5 year old Morgan Alexis born 11/5/09 at 6 lbs 5 oz and proud retired 1 year EP'er!

Re: Adjusting nursing for solids..

I never bothered with only feeding solids after nursing. Both DDs typically nursed at 430/5 ish, dinner at 545/6ish and then nursed again before going down for bed at 7. Never seems to have caused us any problems. Both girls seem to have been as enthusiastic about the nursing regardless of whether they ate the solids or not. Fwiw, i also quit with the baby cereals almost immediately, so what food i offered to DDs was decently nutritious so i wasn't that worried too much about them loosing a lot of nutrition by a bit more solids and a bit less milk (its repeating myself, but i really did not notice any decrease in enthusiasm or lack of appetite for nursing even after a short time from solids to a nursing session).

Re: Adjusting nursing for solids..

Hi mama, I'd say that if your current schedule is working for all involved, you don't have to change it just to nurse before solids. It's a guideline, not an absolute rule, you know? If you feel like she's not nursing well after dinner, you can always limit her dinnertime solids. But if she's nursing fine after dinner, and in general drinking breastmilk before taking solids, then I think you're fine.